There was a fire burning in Konoha's shinobi. More specifically, a fire burning in the Jonin who had been burdened with a handful of tiny, creatures who followed them around each and every day. It had been so since two evenings before.

The Jonin had gathered in their favorite bar night after the 'event', seemingly to chat and have some fun. It ended with only the Special Jonins (minus Ibiki) and Chuunin actually doing something fun while the teachers sat and filled paper after paper with strategies, notes and schedules. Their brats had to survive the upcoming months.

Ibiki's head hurt so much. Two days ago he had attended a meeting about the Chuunin exams, was forced to submit his team only to get beaten to the punch by Kakashi. The cyclops declared his team of angsty brats to be ready to face the next challenge. Of course, that meant that Gai's team was joining too and that meant that both Asuma and Kurenai went for it too. All of this made Ibiki look like he was copying them.

Annoying.

And now he had to get his brats trained so that they wouldn't get killed like initially was intended. Ibiki stared at the thick roll of paper in his hands. Ink stained both sides of it and and leaked all over the string holding them together. He sighed, massaging his forehead.

"Brats!" He called out. Within a second two arrived, standing ram-rod straight in front of them. Ibiki's headache worsened looking at the empty spot.

The third came out, casually strolling with a cup of coffee in her hand, thirty seconds afterwards. Shinji send a wide grin at her teacher and held out the steaming mug. Ibiki felt a thug deep inside but made sure to hide it. He snatched the cup and sniffed. The rich aroma of the bitterest coffee he had ever smelled wafted up his nose. It was as if the clouds outside had finally broken apart to let the sun shine and there were rainbows everywhere and stakes with missing nin pierced like shish kebab with their diaries attached to their necks.

He took a sip.

He spit it out.

"What the hell?!" He spluttered, reaching for his cup of watery tea on his desk. The taste was hideous, betraying the scent. It was by far the foulest cup of anything he had ever tasted.

Shinji was undeterred and ever so helpfully retrieved her creation and pushed in back into his hands. "Drink up sensei, it is made with special herbs that are said to rejuvenate you and increase your stamina."

Ibiki felt his ears color. His headache was back in all its pounding glory. Ryuya and Chi were standing there, still on their spot looking like queuers in a shop. Chi even had the audacity to yawn, baring her very sharp canines. Ryuya stared into nothingness, leaning against her tall friend. He was pretty sure that, without Chi, she would fall over.

He was glad that at least their bickering had stopped. Now all their combined fury was aimed at him and any other shinobi who dared cross their paths or eat the last crispy creme donut. He put the atrocious coffee down on his desk, willing it to change flavor before he was force-fed, and faced his students.

"I have news."

"Who would've guessed." Shinji replied dryly.

Don't, Ibiki. Remember, there are no windows here and you're not supposed to make one in the shape of your student.

"I have entered you three in the Chuunin Exams."

It was silent for a while. Chi looked mildly alarmed and the other two were blank.

"The what now?"

"Chuunin Exams."

"Yeah, I got that. What are Chuunin Exams?"

"Just what the name says."

He could tell Shinji was growing annoyed. Serves her right.

Chi rolled her eyes behind her. "It's the exam we have to pass to become Chuunin." Obviously.

Ryuya snapped up from her thoughts, looking panicked "Isn't that too soon?"

"No. You kids have learned more than I could've imagined and way faster too."

He really should hate it more when they looked so smug. He really should. Instead Ibiki offered a crooked grin and nod before growing serious.

"Listen maggots." Sensing the change in atmosphere, the three turned rigid. "These exams are nothing to scoff at. A lot of Genin enter, all with different levels of experience and skill."

He paused, wondering if he should really tell them. They deserved it. "A lot enter but not many come out to tell the tale."

The air was heavy. Chi's eyes were slowly changing color, a process he still found disconcerting. Especially when they turned yellow.

"All right." Shinji declared, foolishly brave. Ryuya nodded slowly, never far behind her teammates. Chi ran her eyes over his body and he felt a tug on his chakra. It was quiet for an eternity before she blinked and said:

"Sure, why not."

He really needed an aspirin.

With Team 7~

"I AM SO PUMPED!" Naruto chanted for the umpteenth time as he ran full speed across the lake.

Kakashi felt his ears ring even from the distance. Sakura and Sasuke sighed, standing on the land, watching their teammate complete his exercise. As always, Naruto had yet to show any signs of exhaustion and was made to exercise just to waste his energy. To him it was training to get stronger, to them it was a chance to get some peace and quiet.

"Sensei?" Sakura perked up.

"Hmm?"

"Kurenai sensei asked me to come early in the morning for extra Genjutsu training."

"Is that so?" Kakashi replied.

Sakura nodded "She asked me to wait for her at the forest near the Nara compound."

She did what now?! "I see." Kurenai, what the flip? Are you trying to get rid of the competition? That is not fair, you got three clan-brats!

Sasuke frowned "Isn't that the Forest of Death?"

Sakura paled but before any of them could speak, Naruto jumped up from behind her. He had noticed their lack of attention to his incredible speed and went back to remind them.

"Yeah I know that place!" He cried, making his teammates jump. "Chi lives near that place, real creepy stuff there. I once saw a spider the size of a dog."

Sakura looked ready to faint. Kakashi felt the need to interfere. "He means a puppy, Sakura. A Chihuahua puppy, really small. And harmless." He added as an afterthought.

Naruto looked incredulous and opened his big, loud, stupid mouth. Sasuke discreetly lobbed a rock at his head, effectively distracting the kid. Sakura still looked worried.

"Sensei? Was this really a good idea?"

Kakashi petted her hair "I believe that it is. You three have grown and are finally looking like a team." Like Hell you are. Oh well, nothing a couple of month living on the edges of your nerves can fix.

Sakura was unimpressed and pointedly looked at her fighting teammates, whose conversation had degenerated to comparing each other's facial features to turds and frogs. She really wondered how they would ever look like a team.

"Come on brats!" Kakashi called cheerfully, ignoring the obvious glare from Sakura. "We've got more work to do."

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted. "I want to be as famous as you, sensei! Or like Zabuza."

He posed, curling his hands and upper lip. Kakashi felt cold sweat forming on his neck and a nervous tick making its way to his jaw.

"Demon Naruto!"

Oh my God.

"Naruto." He tried sternly. The boy didn't realize it and continued his horribly ironic caricature.

"Na-rut-o." Kakashi rose his voice.

With a smack, realization dawned on the blond and he dropped his pose. His face went white and eyes widened. It was only for few seconds, before he regained his usual posture.

"Hehe, oops! I guess I went too far."

Kakashi shook his head "No, I just don't think how anyone could see you as a demon."

The boy stilled, before a genuine smile crept up his lips. He ran a hand through the short, blond locks as Sakura quietly observed them. Kakashi studied the boy and felt a weight drop in his stomach.

He is faking it.

"Why was Zabuza named a demon?" Sasuke suddenly spoke up.

His teammates stared at him, incredulous that he actually asked a normal question. Sasuke frowned and asked again "Why was he a demon?"

Kakashi recovered first and straightened, glad the previous situation had been pushed aside.

"Well, I guess you could say that it was because of their Genin exams."

"What? But we had those too, that is nothing special or demonic." Naruto rubbed his nose.

Kakashi sighed "Yes, but they have a slightly different one. To pass their exams, the class forms pairs. Only one of each duo can pass the exams, and to win... You have to kill the other one."

It was quiet. The kids were wide eyed. Kakashi looked at them with a heavy heart. Soon, these stories would not seem as cruel anymore.

Inside Konoha's sewer system~

"AGH MY NOSEE!" Kiba howled and wiped at the mysterious speck on the tip of his nose.

Ino shuddered and tried her best not to gag. Her surroundings were dark, but not dark enough to hide the suspicious lumps and bits in the water streaming next to them. The sewers formed a large, highly secured maze, running underneath the village. For the sake of patrolling and maintenance, the Second Hokage had ordered the construction of deep grooves in the round walls where shinobi could walk. It also helped them in their escape as they wouldn't leave a scent strong enough to be found by a child with the flu.

The entrances could be collapsed at any given time and the grooves were only accessible to someone with a transmitter. Ino was holding it in her hand, a small stick like object with a pompom on one end, and Kiba was crouching in front of her. Their job was to find the other duos and capture them. Neither of them knew that they both had been given instructions to take the other team, and their partners, out.

Ino could only hope that Shikamaru had already taken his partner (Hinata) out. Choji was stuck with Shino and she knew that Shino was too smart for the other boy. She herself had nothing to worry. At this rate Kiba would take himself out. The scent was too strong for the Inazuka duo. Akamaru had pressed his tiny paws against his nose. Kiba had passed looking green and was now going for purple.

The assignment had been courtesy of the Eternal Chuunin, who had expressed their worries about potential intruders during the Exams. They hadn't mentioned the sewers and Asuma and Kurenai had taken advantage of that. The six Genin were flattered with the thought of doing something 'cool', especially since they heard about Team 7's A-rank mission, and agreed to to patrol without a second thought.

When the mission had become clear and they were thoroughly briefed, they tried to run. Turned out that Shikamaru's cousins overheard everything and decided to take revenge on the many times Shikamaru had made them look like fools. Never before had anyone ever cursed the Shadow technique like that. All six Genin were trapped because, of course they were standing outside where the sun could warm their backs.

Ino and Kiba hurried along, the latter being pushed by the former. The sooner they got out of here, the better. Ino narrowed her eyes at her partner. She should take him out before they reached the others. Peering into the Stream of Disgusting Things, she noticed a rather large sack of something drifting towards the edge. Thinking quick, she jumped to the front, grabbed Kiba's arm, turned and used her momentum to throw him into the water, puppy and all. He face planted in the sack.

That should keep him busy. Ino cackled and ran away, ignoring the horrified screams and gagging from behind her. She just needed to find her own team and then they would win.

Team Gai, somewhere halfway between the afterlife and the capital of the Land of Fire~

Tenten couldn't think anymore. Her tongue was dangling near her knees and her skin was so sweaty she could swim to their destination. Next to her Neji was only hanging on with pride, something she had given up on when she first saw her sensei's spandex-clad butt. His long hair was plastered to his neck and, the bandages were re-purposed as sweatbands and his white shirt was see-through. Tenten was glad she chose a red shirt for today's training.

Both were leaving a trail of sweat, saliva and occasionally tears and clothes behind, which were kindly picked up by Master Ningame. The giant tortoise summon was waggling far behind them and promised to carry them on the way back. He also seemed to enjoy the dampened ground left by the two normal students.

Gai and Lee were doing great. Great form, shining teeth, sharp bowl cut, striking eyebrows and ultra-tight green spandex.

And no sign of stopping.

"YO LEE."

"YES, GAI SENSEI."

"ARE YOU OKAY?"

"YES, GAI SENSEI."

"YOSH! LETS GO FASTERRRR!"

"YES, GAI SENSEI!" And off they sped to the horizon, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. It stuck to the sweaty bodies of the two behind them.

Neji felt an actual sob rise.

In the evening, back in Konoha~

The Genin were sore, still in the shower, eating and crying respectively. They all dreaded the following days. Few of the more superstitious ones were even offering their food and favorite games to the Gods of Fortune, Health and Happiness.

Chi stepped out of the T&I building, massaging her forehead. The training had been unusual and tiring. She was learning a new jutsu, one that had apparently been in the more obscured scrolls of Konoha. Yamanaka Inoichi had explained that it had been yet another jutsu that her clan had copied and adapted from another one. It had once again caused a great dispute and many threats were exchanged before the Fourth Hokage had enough. The jutsu was written in a scroll, no one was allowed to use it anymore and he would not tolerate one more argument from either sides. Also, the Ketsueki really had to stop pulling this kind of stuff. Bad for peace and order etc.

She walked in the late evening sun, wondering what she could make for dinner. The restaurants were tempting her, but she had already spent too much money on other products. In short: she was broke. As she turned a corner to an empty street, her instincts made her duck. A kunai lodged itself in the wooden fence next to her. Her chakra reacted, cracking the ground. She narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her.

"Showing yourself in the open, old man? Aren't you scared of someone seeing you or did you already kill everyone here?" She sneered.

Danzo didn't react. He walked towards her, only to be stopped by a violent gust of wind. Chi's eyes were two yellow lights. The sweet, sultry air turned sour and cold. "Stay away. I haven't forgotten what you have done."

"I am just here to see how you are doing." Danzo's lips twitched into a cold smile.

Chi eyed the bandages, not for the first time wondering what the man was hiding. She flickered behind him and continued to walk. He caught up with her in a second. Not a word was exchanged. Chi's chakra was in a turmoil. Her blood was boiling and already gathered at her hands. Her braces tightened to the point where they hurt. She was ready to attack but had to force it back. No good would ever come out of attacking a man like him.

He followed her like a shadow. The sun had become too warm, her patience running thin. Various Nara stared at them. One ran off and returned with Shikaku. The man's expression tightened but turned into disbelief when he noticed their direction. When she reached the edge of the forest, Chi stopped.
Danzo took one more step and looked back at her.

"You are not going with me." She gritted out, feeling her muscles tense.

"Why? I just want to talk to you."

"I don't want to listen to you." She paused, collecting herself "If you must, then speak now."

Danzo didn't seem to agree. He took three more steps in to the forest. Chi's chakra burst. Clones formed around the compound and in between the trees. Yellow eyes stared at him from all directions. Shikaku tensed and came closer, ready to step in.

"Get out." Chi's voice was hushed and trembled with rage. The air was filled with her characteristic Killer Intent. She raised her hands, showing how the braces were vibrating. "Now."

Danzo stared at her "You can not hurt me."

"Watch me."

"This is for your own good. For Konoha."

"What do you know about Konoha's good?" She snapped.

Danzo came closer "I will do anything for the good of Konoha."

"Even destroy it?"

Shikaku held his breath. He wasn't going to pretend to mind his own business. He knew that there were at least five ANBU nearby, keeping an eye on them. Danzo seemed the same as always, but the slight jolt in the chakra betrayed his anger.

"You will join me, Ketsueki. It is your destiny. Where else would your abilities develop? I am the only one who can help you pass these Chuunin Exams."

Chi's eyes flashed, her pupil was almost gone. Her lips curled up, showing how much longer her canines had become in just seconds.

"In that case, should I just go ahead drink your blood?"

Shikaku drew a deep breath. It had been ten years since he last heard someone say that. That last person had been a fully grown Jonin who had been executed for slaughtering his team in a bout of insanity. He himself had always claimed that he was just too hungry. That statement only brought him to the first place in the death row.

Danzo managed a wry laugh. "You should watch you words, brat. You are just a Genin, not even the top of your class. I could have you taken care of in a second."

The clones gathered closer, eyes still just as bright. "Which one of us?" They chorused.

Danzo's eyes narrowed. His hand shot out and a wave of wind shot through the clones. They all disappeared apart from the one in front of Danzo.

"All of you." He spoke, staring at her.

The remaining Chi gave a grin and poofed away. The empty spot seemed to laugh at him.

Another Shadow Clone. Shikaku thought admirably. She must have fled the moment she created them. Clever kid.

He was definitely going to the bar tonight, he finally had a special story.

Meanwhile Danzo stared at the empty spot and nodded slowly to himself. He raised his head, looked the Nara head straight in the eye for one terrifying second, and flickered away. The Nara clan members shot away to their houses, pretense of laziness forgotten, chores and conversations abandoned. Shikaku lit a cigarette and noted how his hands were shaking. Damn.

He turned and took his time strolling to the bar. By the time he arrived, his hands had stopped trembling but his mind had not stopped whirring for one second. He kicked the door open en immediately scanned the room for the leather clad Jonin. He found him in the corned and wasted no time in getting behind him.

Ibiki turned, wearing a grimace as he nursed a glass of... water? He saw Shikaku's look and shrugged.

"Apparently you can't take aspirin with alcohol."

Right. I suppose it is a good to give your liver a break.

Shikaku shook himself awake and raised his voice. "I need everyones attention!"

The noise quieted down. Anko giggled but was glared into silence by Asuma. It wasn't everyday that the laid back Jonin commander raised his voice, or bothered to get up for that matter.

Shikaku scratched his head, yawned and stood straighter. "It is about your student Ibiki, but I think we all need to know about this."

Ibiki tensed, no doubt recalling the antics of his students. He might have been thinking about the time when they managed to destroy an entire room whilst trying to kill a spider. They never found the insect and to this day, it remains an open case.

"Which one?"

"Chi." Shikaku answered and the glass cracked. No news involving only that kid was ever good.

"Danzo offered to train her."

"That bas-" Anko was once again shushed. Killer Intent crept through the room, there was a stumbling noise in one corner. Ibiki stood so fast, his stool hit the bar.

"He did what?" He growled.

"I saw him walking with Chi towards the forest. He made the offer to train her but Chi refused, quite spectacularly."

Ibiki dropped back on his chair, looking wary but relieved. "What did she do?"

Shikaku grinned and ordered a beer as he recalled the events. Kurenai snorted and Anko cheered. Ibiki felt a smile tug on his lips. His brat was a total bad-ass, he thought proudly. The tension left the room.

Kakashi felt that this was the moment to release his hold on Iruka. The shorter man had nearly exploded at the mention of Danzo. Kakashi had grabbed him and wrestled him in a chair. There, the man had fumed quietly until the Nara had told them about her grand escape with Shadow Clones.

The copy-cat's mood had improved considerably with the tale. Seriously, no one liked the man and despite his history in ROOT, Kakashi could honestly tell anyone that he wanted nothing more than the Hokage to ban or kill him. Danzo might be the most passionate person when it came to protect the village, but his ways were narrow-minded, prejudiced, rushed and often had disastrous consequences.

Iruka looked grim. "Did you check up on her?"

Shikaku shook his head. "No one can go near that place without special permission from her or the Hokage."

Ibiki nodded in agreement, remembering how he had rushed in the Hokage's office to catch Chi right before she left for the mission with Team 7.

Asuma leaned back "Right, you have to go through the Forest of Death."

Shikaku grimaced "I wish that was the worst. The clan's district is littered with traps and Genjutsu. Take one wrong step and you end up dead or worse. Night or day, you never feel safe there."

He privately recalled the one time he went there by his wife's orders. The young Chi had fallen ill and the Mrs. Nara demanded that someone (her husband) would go and bring the kid some porridge. He managed the forest by running as fast as he could, but once he arrived at the district walls he got in trouble. He passed no less than twenty different traps and Genjutsu before he dared to jump over the wall.

Once inside the compound, he grabbed his kunai, just to be sure. The low sun made the blood-red color of the roofs and lanterns intenser. Every house looked the same, every street was deserted. A pungent smell hung in the air and only grew stronger when he reached what seemed to be a temple. There was a single well inside the wall-less structure. He could smell the blood there and carefully neared it.

Shikaku had fought in a war, had faced the Nine Tailed Fox, witnessed many deaths and caused many as well. Yet, to this day he felt sick as thought of the inside of the temple. The well was filled to the brim with blood. The floor had browned footprints, large and small onces, smears of blood, deep grooves and scratches. There were tattered clothes strewn around, a freaking blade just laying there, half buried underneath a pile of bones.

At the time his own son was just a snot-nosed nine year old, and there he could see a baby's skull, with one tooth in the empty gap of his mouth. He had turned away and ran out as fast as he could. The box with porridge was abandoned against a house, he hoped that she would find it, if not, he didn't care.

He had sprinted home and went to kiss his wife and hug his son, never telling them what he had seen. That was the last time he dared to venture near that place. The girl was seen wandering the forest just days after his visit. She looked dazed and feverish, and was holding the lunch box. She dropped it at the border of the compound and left, staggering back into the haunting darkness of the Forest of Death. The box was empty and had a small, wrinkled piece of paper in it. 'Thank you.' was scrawled in black ink.

Shikamaru reported that she had returned in the class two days later, looking really pale and skinny, but healthy. Her eyes had been red, he recalled. Shikaku told him to just forget it, her clan was special.

The crowd in the bar was getting rowdier and more wild stories had come up with the increased amount of alcohol. No less than three shinobi claimed to have seen an unicorn wandering in the forest, two saw a dragon and one saw the Sandaime walking naked. Shikaku blinked, he must have gotten lost in his thought for longer than he knew.

Ibiki nudged him, holding a glass of something that was definitely not water. The Nara thought of his wife at home and decided that he could handle one more terrifying experience in his life.

"Cheers!" He grinned, accepting the alcohol. It smelled so strong, it might as well have been pure alcohol. Just what I needed.